


Fun With Friends at the Fair

by Kateera



Series: All In a Summer [5]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Cotton Candy Fluff, Don't Tease Oswald in front of Jim, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2017-08-07
Packaged: 2018-12-12 04:54:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11729904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kateera/pseuds/Kateera
Summary: Jim goes to the fair with a few of his friends. Seeing Oswald sneak into the fair, he goes to find him and comes to a realization that could change everything.





	Fun With Friends at the Fair

**Author's Note:**

> Written for #GobblepotSummer2017 and the prompt "Cotton Candy".  
> I don't have a beta for these stories so all the mistakes are my own.   
> Thank you for reading this series of fluff and for all the lovely comments! *hugs for everyone*

 

 

“Mom, where’s Roger? He’s supposed to take me to the fair before his shift starts.” He pulled a shirt out of his laundry while he listened for a response. “Mom?”

 

“What is it?” She answered from down the hall and Jim padded over to her bedroom to see her stretched out on the bed, a glass of orange juice in her hand, most likely spiked with vodka, and the TV on. She gave him a small smile but made no effort to move. 

 

“Do you know where Roger is?” Jim asked again.

 

She frowned. “I think he had work today. You know how he is about being late.”

 

Jim rubbed a hand through his hair and groaned. “He was supposed to drop me off at the fair. Damn it.”

 

“Watch your mouth, Jim.” The words lost their weight as they slurred from her lips. 

 

Watching his mom get drunk wasn’t on his list of things to do today. He knew she was in no state to drive him, but maybe she’d let him take her car. 

 

“Hey mom,” Jim said, putting on his “best son” face. “Would it be alright if I take your car? I have friends waiting for me.”

 

She looked up from the TV, eyeing him as if he’d just asked to sell drugs out of the garage. Shrugging, she turned back to her show. “No joyriding alright? Straight to the fair and straight back, no pit stops.”

 

Jim nodded and rushed to the bed, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks mom, love you.”

 

“Mhmm,” she said with a distracted wave. 

 

Jim dashed to the kitchen and grabbed her car keys, making sure the door was locked before he left. He knew his mother loved him but whole days could pass before she acknowledged that she had kids. He sent a quick text to let his friends know that he was on his way and then threw his phone onto the passenger seat while he pulled out of the driveway.

 

*******

 

The fair came once a year to Gotham with rides, games, and attractions of all sorts, intermingled with people selling everything from goats to bumper stickers. Jim circled the lot until he found a parking space and ran to beat a crowd of people heading for the entrance. Paying the fee, Jim entered the fairgrounds and waved to his group of friends by the water fountains. Jane and Barbara were leaning against the wall, sharing a coke, while Brandon paced in front of them, gesturing wildly to the crowd. Once he spotted Jim, he gave a loud yell and raced over.

 

“Jim! You made it!” Brandon gave him a sideways hug and dragged him towards the others. “What do we want to do first? Rides or food?”

 

Jim laughed and cuffed him on the arm. “Rides first, you idiot. I’m not sitting next to you while you hurl chili cheese fries all over.”

 

“Ew,” Jane said as she grabbed onto Barbara’s arm. “We heard there’s a secret shop in here that will sell weed if you know the right people. You in?”

 

“Um, no thanks,” Jim said, wrinkling his nose. “I doubt it’s even real anyway.”

 

“You’re such a goodie goodie Jimmy.” Barbara said, sticking her tongue out at him and laughing.

 

“I don’t like being called Jimmy,” he said, crossing his arms with a frown. 

 

Barbara laughed. “Whatever, sorry, Jim. We headed to the rides or what?”

 

Jane pouted until Barbara promised a make-out session later and then she agreed with a smug grin. Brandon led the way towards the rides while Jane teased Barbara about her summer job as a secretary for her father. Jim watched them all and missed Oswald.

 

_ I should have invited him. I’m an asshole.  _

 

He heard Brandon and Jane mocking the screaming people on one of the spinning rides and he knew he’d been thinking of sparing Oswald’s feelings. It still felt like a shit thing to do. They ended up in line for a ride called The Sizzler.

 

“Jim, you good?” Brandon asked, falling back by his side and wrapping an arm around him. 

 

Jim smiled and pushed his arm off. “ Just thinking. It’s still not a crime you know.”

 

The line moved forward and Barbara and Jane climbed into one of the bucket seats.

 

“Why take a chance though?” Brandon asked with a grin as he handed the tickets over and slid into his seat.  

 

Laughing in response, Jim slid in next to him and pulled the bar down across their laps. While Brandon turned around and taunted the two girls behind them, Jim looked out over the fair grounds. Families with strollers clogged the walkways and the lines for food tangled together in a mass of hungry people. His eyes scanned the low wire fence and a mess of black hair caught his attention. Jim watched as Oswald checked his surroundings and then hopped the fence when no one was looking. Jim’s ride started moving and he had just enough to time to see Oswald slip into the crowd before he was spun into the air. Brandon clutched at his arm and yelled as the ride spun and flipped them in large arcs across the sky. Jim barely registered the noise, trying to find Oswald with every gut wrenching spin. When the ride stopped, he squirmed with impatience until the ride operator undid the lock, then jumped out and raced for the exit.

 

“Jim! Where are you going?” Brandon shouted.

 

Turning around, Jim waved. “I saw someone. I’ll catch up to you all later!”

 

He ignored Brandon’s confused face and took off through the lines, scanning every booth for the familiar figure. 

 

_ I just ditched my friends to find Oswald. What is wrong with me?  _

 

As his mind buzzed with reasons for why he needed to find his friend, Jim caught a glimpse of Oswald ducking behind a large wooden booth and felt his heart jump into his throat.

 

_ Oh. Fuck.  _

 

Walking towards the booth, Jim tried to calm his heart and come to terms with the realization that he liked Oswald, really liked him. 

 

_ What is happening? I’ve never-I’ve never had a crush on a boy before.  _

 

The questions about his sexuality flew out of his head as he rounded the corner and found Oswald flopped on the dry grass, a bag of cotton candy next him as he rifled through his backpack. 

 

“Oswald?”

 

At the sound of his name, Oswald jumped and hid the backpack behind him. 

 

Jim laughed and sat down in the grass while Oswald held his hand to his chest. “Geez Jim, you scared me!”

 

“I can see that.” Jim grabbed the bag of cotton candy and pulled the twist tie off. “You wouldn’t be so jumpy if you stopped stealing things.”

 

Oswald snorted and reopened his backpack. “With what these people charge, it’s only fair.”

 

“Pun intended?”

 

“Fairly certain.”

 

Jim laughed and blushed at the very “Oswald” answer.  _ I’m so gone if I don’t even care that he’s a thief. _

 

Pulling out an ornate hairclip, Oswald straightened out the feathers with a sniff. “They were selling this for thirty dollars. Can you believe it? It costs them what, a dollar fifty to make? It’s ridiculous.”

 

Jim shrugged and broke off a piece of the cotton candy. “So what are you going to do with all this stuff?”

 

“There’s places in Gotham to sell stolen goods.” Oswald looked up and waved the hairclip at Jim. “Might give this to mother. She likes feathers. Are you eating my cotton candy?”

 

“Um, yes?” Jim held out the bag with a grin and Oswald grabbed it out of his hand.

 

He broke off a piece, glaring at Jim. “Get your own.”

 

Taking another bite of sugary fluff, Jim watched him eat the candy a solemn frown. “You’re not going to share with your best friend?”

 

Oswald stared at him in shocked confusion and Jim replayed his sentence, blushing at the slip. 

 

Jim looked down at the ground while he tried to slow his pounding heart.  _ So what if he’s strange and sarcastic and yeah, okay, a thief? He’s my, my best friend that I would eventually like to kiss and that’s fine. _

 

Looking up, Jim found Oswald holding out the bag of cotton candy with his eyes on the passing people.

 

“Thanks,” Jim said, taking another piece.

 

“Sure.” Oswald kept staring at the growing crowds, the neutral look on his face making Jim’s heart ache.

 

Jim pulled apart his candy. “I meant it, you know?”

 

That caught Oswald’s attention. He stared at Jim, his eyes flicking across his face as if hunting down the lie. Tension settled between them, thick as honey, but Jim refused to break eye contact until Oswald believed him. At last, Oswald nodded and his ears turned red as he looked back to the crowds. 

 

“Hey Jim! Whatcha doing?” Brandon’s voice shot a spark of fear through Jim’s heart.

 

Looking over at Oswald, he forced himself to remain sitting as his friends approached. Brandon flashed a smile as he sat next to Jim while Barbara and Jane leaned against the booth wall, sharing a cigarette. 

 

Brandon squinted his eyes at Oswald. “Don’t I know you?”

 

Jim answered before Oswald could open his mouth. “Oswald, he goes to school with us. We’ve been hanging out this summer.”

 

Barbara let out a puff of smoke. “We had history together right?”

 

Oswald nodded, waving smoke away from his face. “Ms. Kringle. Yes.”

 

“God, what a bitch she was,” Barbara said, shuddering. “At least I’m not her daughter though.”

 

Oswald frowned again. “She was always nice to me.”

 

“Yeah, but that’s probably cause Barbara’s strategy for graduating is to bribe all the teachers,” Jim said with a smirk. “Homework won’t kill you, Barb.”

 

She grimaced. “I’m not willing to chance it.”

 

Brandon laughed and tugged on Jim’s sleeve. “Hey, let’s go on a few more rides before grabbing food.” He turned to Oswald. “Nice meeting you, Oddwald.”

 

Everyone in the group froze and Jim turned to Brandon with confusion. “What?”

 

Oswald pulled at Jim’s arm. “It’s fine. Everyone at school calls me that. Ignore it.”

 

Brandon paled as Jim’s face changed from confusion to anger. “It doesn’t make it right. Right Brandon?”

 

Brandon stood up and held out his hands. “Hey, I didn’t mean anything by it. It slipped.”

 

“So you won’t mind apologizing then, will you?” Jim asked as he stood up, wanting to punch him in the nose.

 

Brandon looked over at Barbara and Jane but they were busy whispering staring at Jim to provide any backup. 

 

“Whatever,” Brandon said, glaring at the grass. “Sorry. Can we go now?”

 

Jim willed his body to relax but fury still churned in his stomach. “I think I’ll stay with Oswald, thanks though.”

 

“But, Jim-” Brandon started. Jane and Barbara walked over and dragged him away before he could say anything else. Barbara waved and Jane slapped a hand over Brandon’s mouth as he continued to talk. 

 

Rubbing the back of his neck, Jim turned to Oswald and hoped he wasn’t too upset by his careless friends. 

 

“More cotton candy?” Oswald asked, the blush across his face ruining his nonchalant tone. 

 

“I’m sorry about them,” Jim said with a sigh. “I forget sometimes, that people are dumb.”

 

Oswald gave him a twisted smile. “You see the best in people, even me. It’s not a bad thing.” He dropped his voice to a whisper. “It’s one of my favorite things about you.” 

 

Sliding back down, Jim leaned against Oswald and pulled off a piece of cotton candy.  “This stuff is going to hurt my stomach. Let’s go grab real food.”

 

“The sandwich shack?”

 

Jim laughed and nodded, helping Oswald to his feet.”My treat.”

 

They headed for the shack and if Jim stood a little too close, or touched Oswald for no reason, neither of them said a word.


End file.
